Sierra City (3)

Carl fidgeted and avoided Ariel's gaze.

Before he knew it, a shy smile had formed on the corners of Carl's mouth, and his face was flushed red from his neck to his ears.

Finally, Ariel had looked at him and even greeted him. Thinking about it, it wasn't much, but Carl's heart swelled with a sense of achievement.

"Ah, hello..."

Carl also greeted her haltingly. Strange emotions stirred inside him, and his heart pounded as if he had sprinted full speed across the Northern Mountains.

"Mm."

Ariel gave a short reply, then turned around and walked away again.

As if they had exchanged greetings, so there was nothing more to do, her attitude was a bit indifferent.

"..."

This time, Carl couldn't stop Ariel. Unlike before, he didn't have the courage.

All Carl could do now was gaze at Ariel's retreating back with his reddened face.

Shane was watching Carl with a complicated gaze from the side.

*

"Sister, who was that human brat earlier? Do you know him? The brat is quite good-looking for his age, but his attitude towards you was very rude. If he acts disrespectfully towards you again next time, I, Lu, will absolutely not tolerate it."

On the way back to the inn, Lu grumbled.

"No matter that this is a human city, they cannot treat you carelessly."

In contrast, Ariel showed no particular reaction. She had simply responded when the boy she had met in the forest wanted to greet her, nothing more or less.

Ariel had already forgotten about Carl long ago. All that occupied Ariel's mind now was the strawberry tart.

Its appetizing appearance. It was understandable why the strawberry tart was a popular item and sold out before noon.

Ariel's eyes took on a determined look.

'Tomorrow for sure...!'

Today she lacked information, so it couldn't be helped, but tomorrow would definitely be different.

Tomorrow, the moment dawn broke, she would rush straight to Delite and definitely obtain that strawberry tart.

*

As Shane had worried, the incident that occurred during the day quickly spread among the nobles.

Moreover, the story had become quite distorted.

"I heard the young master of the North, Carl Castarck, courted an elf on the street?"

"But in the end, he was rejected."

"Wow, then what about the princess?"

Shane felt a headache coming on.

It hadn't even been a day since the incident, yet rumors were already spreading - the nobles' mouths were truly light.

It was only a matter of time before this rumor reached the capital and the princess' ears.

And by then, the story would likely be even more distorted.

Instead of courting, it might even become a proposal. In reality, Carl had simply shouted for the elf to stop and exchanged greetings, but still.

"Phew..."

Shane let out a deep sigh. He was certainly partly responsible for this incident as well, for failing to properly assist Carl.

Just the thought of attending the princess' birthday party with this rumor hanging over them was dreadful. Everyone would whisper, and someone would surely directly inquire about the truth of the matter.

'I should prepare a plausible excuse for that time...'

Coming up with an excuse was not a pleasant task for Shane, who had spent his life wielding only a sword. Moreover, most people would likely remain skeptical even if they accepted the excuse.

'I have no face to return to the North...'

Carl's father, the Grand Duke of Castarck, had placed great trust in Shane.

That's why he had sent Shane along to accompany Carl on this trip - to guard Carl and prevent any untoward incidents from occurring.

Yet such a major incident had occurred. There was no way he could return to the North with dignity.

He would surely be punished. He might not lose his knighthood, but a demotion in rank and pay cut would likely be unavoidable.

'There's no helping it...'

Shane tried to steel his resolve. What's done was done, and he could only move forward from here.

With that determination, he returned to the inn, but Carl was nowhere to be seen. Only the Castarck family's soldiers remained at the inn.

Shane asked one of the soldiers, "Where did the young master go?"

"He said he was going to practice swordsmanship and went out to the courtyard."

While staying in the city, the Castarck family had rented an entire building as their lodging. As such, they could freely use the courtyard behind the building.

It seemed Carl had gone out there to practice his swordsmanship.

Ordinarily, Shane might have thought highly of Carl for this. After all, one could never practice too much.

"At this hour...?"

But something felt a bit off now. It was too late to be practicing.

No matter how much Carl enjoyed training, he had never practiced this late before.

Shane felt a sense of unease as he made his way to the courtyard behind the inn.

Swish! Swish!

"Hah, hah..."

Carl was indeed practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard. His whole body was drenched in sweat as he gasped for breath, swinging his sword wildly.

"Young master."

Shane approached Carl.

"That's enough for today."

This was no longer practice. Carl was simply swinging his sword wildly. His form had collapsed, and he had reached his physical limit.

"Ah, Sir Shane, I couldn't sleep..."

At Carl's words, Shane fell silent. He didn't ask why Carl couldn't sleep. He didn't ask why Carl was swinging his sword so frantically this late at night.

"...You should rest now."

Shane said so, and Carl didn't insist any further.

"Understood, Sir."

Normally, Carl was quite mature for his age, unlike his behavior earlier that day.

He had a composure and mental fortitude uncharacteristic of a child.

Thanks to that, Carl carried the hopes of the North on his shoulders. It was said that when he grew up, he would become an excellent king of the North.

'Even someone like the young master...'

Shane stopped his train of thought there. It was better not to entertain such ominous thoughts, lest they become reality.

It was just a brief moment. As a person and a man, Carl's heart could waver for a bit.

Once he saw Princess Illiana in the capital, he would quickly forget that elf from earlier.

He had to. Absolutely.

Shane fervently hoped so as he entered the inn with Carl.

*

After his 'intense sword swinging' that could hardly be called practice, Carl washed his body with cold water and lay down on the bed.

His body was utterly spent. He didn't have the strength to move a single finger.

Normally in such a state, he would fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes, but not this time.

Instead, his mind was clear. Ariel flickered before his eyes.

Her soft, graceful movements as she mounted the wolf in the forest, her expressionless yet proud and cold gaze...

They wouldn't leave his mind.

Slap!

Carl struck his own cheek. He mustn't recall it. Truthfully, that elf had nothing to do with him.

Carl had confronted Ariel over her rude attitude, but honestly, it wasn't worth getting that angry over.

Carl himself despised the way nobles usually flaunted their titles and backgrounds. And now he was doing the same, leaving him with a sense of self-loathing.

After Ariel left him in the forest, he thought he would never see her again. But as soon as he returned to the city, he ran right into her.

At that moment, Carl felt a sense of joy. He wanted to act familiar with Ariel.

But Ariel didn't even acknowledge Carl's existence, causing him to lose his composure.

He wanted to subjugate Ariel by any means, even by flaunting his title and background. He wanted to make Ariel see him, no matter what.

Carl's wish was granted.

Ariel remembered Carl and greeted him. Just recalling that moment still made Carl's heart race.

He had never felt this way even when Princess Illiana showed interest in him.

Nor when the daughters of other high-ranking noble families approached him first, trying to catch his eye.

But with just that one greeting from Ariel, Carl became flustered and didn't know what to do.

It was the kind of reaction Carl usually saw from other noble daughters when he greeted them.

Seeing such a reaction, Carl had thought it pathetic.

As a noble, one should maintain dignity and carry oneself with grace. To become flustered and bashful in front of others was utterly pathetic and unbearable.

Yet that was exactly what Carl had done...

In front of Ariel.

'Enough.'

Carl opened his eyes wide and glared at the ceiling.

Although he had acted uncharacteristically flustered today, causing strange rumors to spread, that was the end of it.

No more.

After today, he would no longer think about that elf. He would completely forget her.

Carl had never been interested in the opposite sex before. What he admired were excellent knights like his father and Shane, nothing else.

Even Princess Illiana failed to excite any interest in him.

Carl devoted himself solely to practicing swordsmanship and studying various subjects to rule the North in the future.

He took great pride in that.

So after today, Carl intended to return to his proud self.

The resilient heir to the North.

He must not allow himself to be shaken by a mere elf.

With that resolve, Ariel's image no longer flickered before his eyes.

Thanks to that, Carl was finally able to sleep peacefully...

"Young master, it's morning."

'Already!?'

But soon, Shane's voice woke him up.

The morning sun was rising outside the window.

"I know you practiced late into the night, but you still can't oversleep."

Shane spoke mercilessly, and Carl had to get out of bed without having slept at all.